Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved into a go-to name to check the credentials of any professional. Be it a company looking at a prospective candidate or a job-seeker looking for opportunities to connect with the right people or a professional looking to enhance his/her network, the avenues offered by LinkedIn are virtually endless. Having said that, creating a LinkedIn profile is much more than merely filling up your details in the registration form. I believe that there are 5 pillars that make up your LinkedIn profile detailed below:
# 1 – Your photograph
Well, pictures used to speak a thousand words. Nowadays, they speak a million. Most, if not all, of us, tend to form an opinion of a person by merely looking at their photograph. Choose a simple and professional looking headshot which makes you look approachable and friendly. Remember, your profile photo is the first thing anyone would notice on visiting your profile.
# 2 – Headline
Once you have a good profile photo in place, you need to think about the headline. This is not a place to mention your professional designation – you have a place for that in your profile. Instead, you need to think about what makes you unique as compared to your peers. This is a great place to mention your ‘personal branding statement’ if you have one. Determine your USP and mention it in the headline.
# 3 – Summary
I have seen that most people run out of ideas while writing the headline of their profile and merely mention a line or two in the summary section. It’s surprising how people are so unaware of how they want the professional world to view them. This is a section to describe your passions and journey in brief. No writing novels here, but give the visitor a good feel of your professional strengths.
# 4 – Experience
This is another important section of your profile. Do not copy-paste your resume in this section. Try and get a little creative and make the profile-visitor go through your career journey in a crisp manner while highlighting all the important achievements and rewards/ recognition of your professional life.
I mentioned that you must avoid copying-pasting your CV here, right?
# 5 – Recommendations
Why do you think organizations turn to LinkedIn to check the credentials of a prospective employee? The answer is – Recommendations. This is a unique feature of LinkedIn whereby people who you have worked with can recommend you for various skills displayed during your previous assignments. These can be from your managers, colleagues, customers and interdepartmental employees whom you may have interacted with ass a part of your job. Recommendations add credibility to your personal brand story and overall profile.
So there it is
These are the five important pillars of a LinkedIn profile. If you are thinking that you already know this, then maybe you should revisit your profile and check if it is in sync with all these points. Chances are, that you might have missed out on a couple of aspects.
At Change Ur Story, we believe that an online presence on a platform like LinkedIn is not an option for professionals anymore, it is a must. It helps you stay abreast of the developments in your line of work, connect and interact with people who share your interests and establish your personal brand statement with authority. We assist professionals in revamping their LinkedIn presence to reflect their professional personalities and desires effectively. If you think that the pillars of your LinkedIn profile need some reinforcements, then drop us a line and let’s start working on it today!
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